Prague is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people. During the thousand years of its existence, the city grew from a settlement stretching from Prague Castle in the north to the fort of Vyšehrad in the south. The Czech name Praha is derived from an old Slavic word, práh, which means “ford” or “rapid”, referring to the city’s origin at a crossing point of the Vltava river.

Oświęcim is a town in southern Poland, situated 50 kilometres west of Kraków. The town is commonly known for being the site of the Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II when Poland was under the control of Nazi Germany.

Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. Its historical Old Town was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Once described as the ‘Paris of the North’, Warsaw was believed to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world until World War II. After the war, Warsaw gained the new title of Phoenix City because of its extensive history and complete reconstruction after World War II, which had left over 85% of its buildings in ruins.